Schlosstheater Ludwigsburg

The baroque castle theater in Ludwigsburg is part of the residence of the dukes and later kings of Württemberg. Many original equipment parts remained through a transfer of the residence to this day in the 19th century. Only since about 1930, the rooms are again used for performances, mostly Mozart productions.

• 7.1 Inventory
• 7.2 structure
• 7.3 Interior Finishing
• 7.4 Careful modernization of stage technology

The theater as part of court life

The theater was built as a comedy house under Duke Eberhard Ludwig. It is suspected in the Orangerie and the castle's halls earlier venues. Even before its completion commitment by French and German dance companies are proven. The entire palace complex grew over the decades into one of the largest baroque castles in Germany. Was next to the west the town of Ludwigsburg, formerly a small village developed as aligned to the residence planned city. At times, instead of Stuttgart Ludwigsburg was the royal residence and capital of the Duchy of Württemberg.

The theater was established since 1758 by Philippe de La Guêpière during the reign of Duke Carl Eugen. On May 23, 1758 the first performance took place on the stage. The Duke played in pieces that were created for His glory in allusion to ancient gods and heroes (see Court Theatre ), starring himself, the family or Hofmitglieder enjoyed looking at themselves devised and established tableaux.

Duke Frederick II (later known as King Frederick I ) was from 1802 the auditorium by Nikolaus Friedrich von Thouret in the classical style fashion of the time (later named after Napoleonic Empire style) remodel. The theater received the royal box, so to speak, a second stage. The audience in the ( standing- ) floor was free, what spectacle it was about to turn when wandering about.

The 18th century saw several times in Württemberg young absolutist rulers who had been educated at foreign courts and now just such at her court wanted to set up and use " luxury building ". Palace of Versailles was standard for a regional German princes. The Dukes Eberhard Ludwig and Carl Eugen loved multi-day farm festivals, hunts with banquets, evening balls and theater performances. In 1803 there were celebrations on the occasion of the appointment of Duke Frederick II the Elector and 1806 the first King of Württemberg.

Opened in 1840, with the seat was moved, almost as a succession to the Wilhelma Theater in Stuttgart. Ludwigsburg fell into a deep sleep.

Architectural History

Trained as a plasterer Donato Giuseppe Frisoni planned as court architect from 1715 additional wings, the palace church and a religious room, in the West and in the East Festinbau the theater. Although the latter two outside the square grid but strict mirror symmetry. Its model was possibly the Margrave Opera House in Bayreuth. The local opera house was inaugurated on the occasion of the marriage of the daughter of Margrave pair Elisabeth Frederike Sophie with Carl Eugen 1748. Both new buildings border the courtyard and accent it.

Finally, built over the former main building, the "Old Corps de Logis ", a new main building. Thus, one of the most magnificent courts of Europe had emerged in the form of a closed square to the main courtyard, which included about 400 rooms. The castle is surrounded on three sides by a large park with a French and an English garden and the transition to various hunting equipment.

Today, on the fourth side leads past a busy four-lane main road.

Building

It is a detached three storey building with attic with double hipped roof. In height and floor classification Fit standing in front of the transverse structure. A two-story passageway having a passageway at ground level, it binds to the castle.

The dormers of 6 m high Mansarddachs not refer here to a residential function. The thunder bay, a chimney-like resonance chamber, in 1945 during an air raid almost the starting point of a major fire. An incendiary device was dropped into it. At the last moment the fire was extinguished, which had already spread to the roof. The house itself is not heated.

Under the stage and auditorium lodges there are two low levels with technology and wardrobes.

Among them is the Burgundy cellar.

Since 1928 it is considered a monument, now in its entirety as a cultural monument.

Stage Technology

The theater mechanic Johann Christian germ designed the stage machinery. This allows up today seconds open transformations ( 11 sec ). There were also technical and sensory effects of rain and wind machine, thunder bay and delightful surprises through trap doors and slide ( Deus ex machina effects).

The exchange of the scenes is carried out by the parallel displacement of two series of six sliding carriages on either side of the stage. They are moved by an amazingly simple mechanics. The twisted corrugated tree, hidden at right angles under the stage, wrapped in ropes that pull over a guide roller which is a group of Scenery from view while moving into the new scenes in the field of view. For the spectators it looks as if the stage frame replaced in exactly the same place from above and the side. The cars run on a platform located below the level of the ground between guide rails. Thus, the stage remains largely free of viewable mechanics. A previously reared separately weight makes this conversion. As in a movement it moves downward and performs the rotation of the well tree.

Scenery and other items of equipment

The scenes are painted on fabric. You could be stored to save space in a vault in the attic on a large drum. But today there are only 16 sets of different original scenes (garden / Wingert, halls, village ) available. Originally it was between the court theaters ( Grafeneck, Stuttgart, Teinach ) back and forth exchanged.

1933, 14 leaflets (10 x 11 m) were determined 1 curtain backdrop and 140 parts at a recording historic preservation, restored from 1987 to 1995.

Auditorium

The auditorium has a bell shape with three tiers that are stacked vertically. The royal box is on two floors and offers about 15-20 people. The entire space is about as deep as the stage. On the ground floor no seating was provided.

Already Frederick I could install a warm air heating in his box. Today, sensor control the humidity and temperatures, since strong fluctuations must be avoided. Only the locker rooms today have radiator radiator. Some of the other rooms exhaust air systems.

A central chandelier (95 kg) could be moved out of sight of the spectators in the attic at the beginning of each performance by a large opening in the ceiling. Served this purpose a separate Tretgöpel. This is an impeller, in which a rope by manpower is wound. This equipment has been refurbished and the hemp rope for safety replaced by a steel cable. Probably (because with a maximum load of 3 t otherwise significantly oversized ) so that was formerly also the usual games in the cloudy chariot, be it for your majesty, be it for the main character, moves. ( We still know today by the three little boys in The Magic Flute ).

Performances with Europe-wide broadcast

The Dukes had to the cost of the theater advertising their purpose quite achieved because the performances herlockten spectators from all over Germany and the neighboring countries to Paris in Württemberg.

As of 1976, however, were made for the former performances massive interventions in the building fabric. The proscenium was sawed off, ripped out the ramp lighting. By hot- air generators, the entire building is subjected to thermal shock in the winter, leading to deformation of the wood substance. Externally visible consequence was the flaking paint and stucco. 1985 follows a similar hot air trying to install an oversized lighting. 1986 Scenery to be demolished for a production. 1990 be taken for a TV recording of the kidnapping, back in winter, huge temperature and humidity fluctuations. Then there are parts of the damage for everyone were visible.

Renovation 1992-1998

In 1998, the Palace Theatre will be reopened after six years of restoration. Since then provides the architectural and historical monument the theater up to 350 spectators next opera productions each year, about a dozen other events.

Inventory

1990/1991 different opinion on theater historical significance to the building, furnishing and for possible use by Babro Stribolt, Wolfgang Stopfel, Harald Zielske, Mechthild Stratmann and Emmanouil were created. This idea was 1992, the Regional Council of Ministers ( Prime Minister Erwin Teufel ) and gave extensive restoration in order.

Building

The structure required for a part deconstruction later internals, but also partly the installation of new dressing rooms, an emergency staircase, technical and sanitary facilities. The facades had to be renovated.

On the installation of a heating system has been deliberately omitted. The Bespielung should in future be carried out only in the summer months.

To protect the Füllmauerwerks drainage had to be created. Building stone on the doors and windows had to be strengthened or replaced by an Injection Methods. The plaster surfaces were largely preserved in its original. Only some previously repaired cement plaster surfaces had to be replenished by matching lime putty. Painted stereo window was strengthened in part, otherwise new to be painted. Parts of the facade were re- painted with lime paint on wet plaster, large portions but with a two-component mineral paint.

All wood windows could be repaired and partly carry nor the original fittings. As a replacement is now reused blown glass with its typical reflection in glass damage.

The stable, in principle, elaborate attic had especially moisture damage to the bearing and pivot points that were of carpentry repair.

Interior Finishing

The auditorium, originally of 1758, has already been remodeled in 1812. Parts of the broken in Stuttgart riding home theater came for further use. These various materials made ​​it difficult to present restoration. Goal, however, was to come as close as possible to this design. Old paint residues were systematically evaluated for the new color scheme. This was a little easier because many surfaces appear uniformly by the time already used and now renewed canvas covering. The proscenium arch is a wooden structure with three layers of canvas, primer and glued paper or cardboard layers. Then genii, masks and medallions were painted with poet figures. Many of the images could be obtained in the original.

Of course, the original candle lights have not been installed again. The wiring of electricity was as invisible as possible placed in cavities. Means of communication, fire and hazard detector according to the present state of the art have been installed.

Careful modernization of stage technology

The largely faithful to the original stage technology with the central corrugated tree ( based on the annual rings could be Fälldatum 1756 specified), the stage has been carefully modernized, for example, the slide bearing the Scenery.

Already much earlier was the oil lamp lighting the individual lanes and the ramp that achieved by their flickering light very own effects on the scenes, been replaced by the much cheaper and more reliable electricity. The electric lighting over 120 circuits can be controlled electronically today. Only the original post have been used as bulb holder for low voltage halogen lighting again today.

The machinery above the stage was modernized (low Schnürboden ). Part of the work do on the left side of the stage modern hand winches. The festoon lamps (ceiling scenes ) have been faithfully re- pairs alternately raised and lowered by a centrally mounted shaft. A fire curtain was newly mounted behind the restored main curtain.

The brochures as stage background can now be with three modern material bearing rollers gently rolled up and off.

Current usage

Even today you can - after a century of dormancy in the 19th century - Experience opera productions and concerts in the Ludwigsburg Palace Theatre as part of the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival.

Museum

In a separate small palace theater - museum in one of the eastern wings the restoration and the inventory of the theater is documented. The main exhibit is a wooden model of Martin Bohle ( 1:15; approximately 1 mx 1 mx 1.5 m depth). The old lighting concept and backdrop fragments are presented alongside texts, videos, material samples and musical examples.